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Colleen Janczewski, PhD, MSW

  • Associate Professor, Social Work

Dr. Colleen Janczewski is an associate professor at the Helen Bader School of Social Welfare and a policy and practice analyst at ICFW. Dr. Janczewski's research interests include child maltreatment and examining how public systems interface with vulnerable children and families. She has expertise in applying advanced statistical techniques to inform policy decisions and practice innovations in social service systems. She is also the director of UWM's Title IV-E Child Welfare Stipend program. Dr. Janczewski holds a Ph.D. in social welfare from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee and a master’s degree in social work from Virginia Commonwealth University.

Education:

  • Ph.D., Social Welfare, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, 2014
  • MSW, Virginia Commonwealth University, 2001
  • B.S., Sociology (Criminology concentration), Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, 1998

Professional Interests:

  • Child maltreatment
  • Agency decision-making in public systems
  • Concentrated poverty and cumulative risk
  • Client engagement and autonomy
  • Program evaluation

Funded Research:

  • 2021: University of Wisconsin Title IV-E Public Child Welfare Stipend Program Funded by Wisconsin Department of Children and Families. Annually, July-June (FY2021 = $628,691). Role: Principal Investigator.
  • 2021-2022: Strong and Stable Families. Funded by Wisconsin Child Abuse and Neglect Board. 07/01/2021-06/30/2022, $139,149. Role: Co-Investigator.
  • 2021: Wisconsin Public Child Welfare and Home Visiting Data Project: Rapid-cycle analyses for Family First Prevention Planning. Funded by Wisconsin Department of Children and Families. 03/01/2021-12/30/21, $36,000 Role: Principal Investigator.
  • 2020-2022: Birth to Three Innovation Evaluation. Funded by Wisconsin Department of Health Services. 11/20/2020-4/30/22, $125,463. Role: Co-Investigator.
  • 2021-2022: Maternal, Infant, and Early Childhood Home Visiting (MIECHV) Grant Program. Lead Agency: Wisconsin Department of Children and Families. Funded by U.S. DHHS, Health Resources and Services Administration.
    10/01/2021-09/30/2022, Coordinated multi-state evaluation $250,000
    10/01/2021-09/30/2022, Wisconsin evaluation $98,000. Role: Co-Investigator.
  • 2017-2022: Trauma and Recovery Project. Lead Agency: Wisconsin Department of Children and Families. Funded by U.S. DHHS, Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, Children’s Mental Health Services. Grant ID: SM63270. 10/01/2017-9/30/2022, $601,800. Role: Co-Principal Investigator.
  • 2020: University of Wisconsin Title IV-E Public Child Welfare Stipend Program. Wisconsin Department of Children and Families (Annually, 2020, ~$500,000). Role: Co-Principal Investigator.
  • 2019-2020: Community Response Evaluation. Greater Watertown Health Foundation (Jan. 1, 2019-Dec. 30, 2020). $30,000. Role: Principal Investigator.
  • 2019-2021: Maternal, Infant, and Early Childhood Home Visiting (MIECHV) Grant Program. Lead Agency: Wisconsin Department of Children and Families. Funded by U.S. DHHS, Health Resources and Services Administration. Award No. 1 X10MC33618-01-00 (Jan. 1, 2019-Sept. 30, 2021). $101,420. Role: Co-Investigator.
  • 2016-2018: Mixed Method Evaluation of Wisconsin’s Alternative Response. Wisconsin Department of Children and Families. (Oct. 1, 2016-Sept. 30, 2018). Role: Principal Investigator.
  • 2016-2018: Maternal, Infant, and Early Childhood Home Visiting Grant Program. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Health Resources and Services Administration Award No. 1 X10MC295120100 (April 1, 2016-Sept. 30, 2018). Role: Evaluator.
  • 2015-2017: Smart Scale Up II: Promoting Family Engagement, Health and Mental Health. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Health Resources and Services Administration Award No. 1 D89MC282590100 (March 1, 2015-Sept. 30, 2017). Role: Evaluator.
  • 2013-2016: Smart Scale Up: Expanding Home Visiting with Fidelity. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Health Resources and Services Administration Award No. 1 D89MC26367-01-00 (Oct. 1, 2013-Dec. 31, 2016). Role: Evaluator.
  • 2013: Assessing Family Engagement & Community Partnerships within Wisconsin Early Childhood Programs. The Governor’s Early Childhood Advisory Council, Madison, Wisconsin. Role: Co-Principal Investigator.

Publications:

  • Janczewski, C., & Mersky, J. P. (2022). Secondary traumatic stress among home visiting professionals. Psychological Trauma: Theory, Research, Practice, and Policy. https://doi.org/10.1037/tra0001296
  • Choi, C., Mersky, J. P., Janczewski, C. E., & Goyal, D. (2022). Advancing research on perinatal depression trajectories: Evidence from a longitudinal study of low-income women. Journal of Affective Disorders, 301, 44-51.
  • Janczewski, C. E., Mersky, J., & Plummer Lee, C. (2021). A Brief Measure of Work Environment for Human Service Organizations. Human Service Organizations: Management, Leadership & Governance, 45(55), 479-492. https://doi.org/10.1080/23303131.2021.1915438
  • Mersky, J. P., McKelvey, L. M., Janczewski, C. E., & Fitzgerald, S. (2021, online). Effects of COVID-19 on home visiting services for vulnerable families: A cross-state analysis of enrollment, engagement, and attrition patterns. Families, Systems, & Health. https://doi.org/10.1037/fsh0000667
  • Mersky, J. P., Choi, C., Plummer Lee, C., & Janczewski, C. E. (2021, online). Disparities in adverse childhood experiences by race/ethnicity, gender, and economic status: intersectional analysis of a nationally representative sample. Child Abuse & Neglect, 117. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chiabu.2021.105066
  • Rolock, N. Cryer-Coupet, Q., & Janczewski, C.  (2021). Measurement Issues in Identifying and Describing Disproportionality and Disparity. In A. Dettlaff (Ed.), Racial Disproportionality and Disparities in the Child Welfare System (pp. 25-44). Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-54314-3_3
  • Rolock, N. Cryer-Coupet, Q., & Janczewski, C.  (2021). Measurement Issues in Identifying and Describing Disproportionality and Disparity. In A. Dettlaff (Ed.), Racial Disproportionality and Disparities in the Child Welfare System (pp. 25-44). Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-54314-3_3
  • Mersky, J.P., Janczewski, C.E., Plummer Lee, C., Gilbert, R. M.; McAtee, C., & Yasin, T. (2021) Effects of home visiting on breastfeeding and bedsharing in a low-income urban sample. Journal of Health Education and Behavior, 48(4), 488-495.
  • Mersky, J. P., Plummer Lee, C., & Janczewski, C. E. (2021). Toward the assessment of adverse adult experiences: An initial validation study of the adult experiences survey. Psychological Trauma: Theory, Research, Practice, and Policy, 13(5), 528-536.
  • Mersky, J. P., Plummer Lee, C., Gilbert, R. M., & Goyal, D. (2020). Prevalence and correlates of maternal and infant sleep problems in a low-income US sample. Maternal and Child Health Journal, 24(2), 196-203.
  • Choi, C., Mersky, J. P., Janczewski, C. E., Plummer Lee, C., & Davies, W. H. (2020). Validity of an expanded assessment of adverse childhood experiences: A replication study. Children and Youth Services Review, 117(c).
  • Mersky, J. P., Topitzes, J., Janczewski, C. E., Lee, C. T. P., McGaughey, G., & McNeil, C. B. (2020). Translating and Implementing Evidence-Based Mental Health Services in Child Welfare. Administration and Policy in Mental Health and Mental Health Services Research, 1-12.
  • Janczewski, C. E., Mersky, J. P., & Brondino, M. J. (2019). Those Who Disappear and Those Who Say Goodbye: Patterns of Attrition in Long-Term Home Visiting. Prevention Science, 1-11.
  • Mersky, J., Janczewski, C., & Nitkowski, J. (2018). Poor mental health among low-income women in the U.S.: Exploring the role of adverse childhood and adult experiences. Social Science & Medicine, 206, 14-21.
  • Mersky, J. P., & Janczewski, C. E. (2018). Adverse childhood experiences and postpartum depression in home visiting programs: prevalence, association, and mediating mechanisms. Maternal and Child Health Journal, 1-8.
  • Mersky, J. P., & Janczewski, C. E. (2018). Racial and ethnic differences in the prevalence of adverse childhood experiences: findings from a low-income sample of US women. Child Abuse & Neglect, 76, 480-487.
  • Mersky, J. P., Janczewski, C. E., & Topitzes, J. (2017). Rethinking the measurement of adversity: moving toward second-generation research on adverse childhood experiences. Child Maltreatment, 22(1), 58-68.
  • Janczewski, C.E. & Mersky, J.P. (2016). What's so different about differential response? A multilevel and longitudinal analysis of child neglect investigations. Child and Youth Services Review 67, 123-132.
  • Mersky, J. P., Topitzes, J., Janczewski, C. E., & McNeil, C. B. (2015). Enhancing foster parent training with Parent-Child Interaction Therapy: Evidence from a randomized field experiment. Journal of the Society for Social Work and Research, 6(4), 591-616.
  • Janczewski, C. E. (2015). The influence of differential response on decision-making in child protective service agencies. Child Abuse & Neglect, 39, 50-60.
  • Mersky, J., & Janczewski, C. E. (2013). Adult well-being of foster care alumni: Comparisons to other child welfare recipients and a non-child welfare sample in a high-risk, urban setting. Children and Youth Services Review, 35(3), 367-376.
  • Janczewski, C., Dutch, N., & Wang, K. (2008). Crafting the Greenbook: Framers reflect on the vision, process, and lessons learned. Journal of Interpersonal Violence, 23(7), 981-1006.
  • Malik, N., Ward, K., & Janczewski, C.  (2008). Coordinated community response to family violence: The role of domestic violence service organizations. Journal of Interpersonal Violence, 23(7), 933- 955.
  • Malik, N., Silverman, J., Wang, K., & Janczewski, C. (2008). Domestic violence and dependency courts: The Greenbook demonstration experience. Journal of Interpersonal Violence, 23(7), 956-980.

Curriculum Vitae